The Pittsburgh Pirates officially signed outfielder Andrew McCutchen earlier today. To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Miguel Andujar has been designated for assignment.
The Pirates picked up Andujar off of waivers from the New York Yankees in late September of 2022. He was able to get into nine games with the Pirates before the season ended. Andujar, who turns 28 years old soon, has played parts of six seasons in the majors, putting together a .272/.302/.447 slash line in 268 games. He has put up 1.4 WAR during that time, though he had 2.9 WAR in 2018, when he finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Andujar was part of our winter coverage this year, hitting .247/.304/.353 in 21 games in the Dominican league, which has been loaded with big league talent this off-season.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
I put a post earlier on here about triolo as the guy to fill the last roster spot if the rosters were finalized today. But what if they went and got a guy like Matt Duffy, he plays SS, 2B and 3rd. He is a career 279 hitter with a 710 OPS. That would be a solid middle infield back up.
Triolo has been the best defensive 3b in the minors over the last two years I believe (don’t think I am confusing him with someone else). I don’t see them bringing him up to ride the bench. AAA to keep working on the bat that starts slow but picks up as the year goes along.
Where would Triolo play? They aren’t bringing him up to sit the bench, it’s better for him up get everyday playing time
The Pirates have played about 2800 innings over the last 2 years
Hayes has missed about 1000 of those due to injury
I’d guess Triolo would get most of those if he’s on the roster
Otherwise he’ll split time at 2B, SS, and OF
Lots of playing time should be available for some of the non-starters
I think they are viewing him as the Castillo of this year with more upside. I would rather him stay in triple a but I’m not sure that’s the plan.
Unless they see his current and future role as a bench piece. I think he is a future starter, and I would rather see them put him in Indy and give him regular work at shortstop and see how his glove plays there on a regular basis.
I agree. Just a trend I am noticing he and Marcano are about the only guys left for that back up middle infield position.
And Bae
If I could go back in time I think I would not do the Joe trade. While I will not lose sleep and don’t think this ultimately will matter much, I would prefer Andujar and Nick Garcia still in the system to having Connor Joe.
Pathetic confession: I occasionally do lose sleep thinking about Pirate roster moves. Bucs are usually last thing I think at night when head is down – better than NyQuil 🏴☠️
You need help, if you get , please refer me.
I’m sure Cherington would too but he couldn’t have known Cutch was going to text Nutting.
Miami off the table for Reynolds now that they got Arraez and moved Chisholm to CF
at least until June
its looking more and more like he starts the year with us
wouldn´t it be a hoot if he changed his mind, fired his agent and signed a contract with us?
I’m starting to think Triolo might be the final bench piece to go along with Joe, Heineman, and bae.
Starters Suwinski, Reynolds, Cutch, Hayes, Cruz, Castro, Choi, Hedges, and Santana.
Wait so a guy who hasn’t even gotten to Indy yet is gonna be the final bench piece? Really?
Not sure what the plan is for Triolo but he could easily be one of the best players on the team
On the MLB team? No, he would not.
Who are the best players on the team?
Or maybe an easier question, who were the best players on the team last year?
Reynolds, Hayes, Cruz, Suwinski.
Triolo I think has more of a future as a super sub or trade piece.
Seriously? Triolo could be a solid contributor given some time but his 80th percentile ZiPS is 1.8 fWAR. Easily be one of the best players on the team? His AA numbers are honestly solid but he’s also 24 so not young for the level at all. This is backup backup QB syndrome.
I don’t get the love affair either….
I trust my eyeballs on this one
Also here is a much more favorable projection
http://www.claydavenport.com/ht/TRIOLO19980208A.shtml
I think the idea you’re endorsing from these models (that Triolo would skip Indy and basically be a league average bat) is quite…optimistic.
You said you trust your eyeballs, but I think it’s best to get them checked on this one.
I don’t understand your comment
“I think the idea you’re endorsing from these models (that Triolo would skip Indy and basically be a league average bat) is quite…optimistic.”
Maybe I’m misunderstanding his models, they seems to provide percentiles from 10 to 90
You said he’d be one of the best players on the team. Are you insinuating he would be that in 2023? If not, I’m sorry I was mistaken. But if you are stating that, I don’t think you or those models (if that’s what they’re saying too) are going to see it work out that way.
You’re the first person I’ve seen post a Clay Davenport projection in like 8 years. Good luck with that.
Does that mean you’d seen those projections like 10 years ago?
As you probably know he’s famous for projections of all sorts of things
Bill James might be the only person in baseball more known for those models
But then what about this projection?
http://www.claydavenport.com/ht/CHENG20010726A.shtml
What in the world …. And those player comparables are amazing. What is the model seeing I’m not ????
It’s the ability to play high level D with average (or better) O
http://www.claydavenport.com/ht/YOUNG19970808A.shtml
I’m telling you, they’re going to sign a free agent backup middle infielder. They’re just waiting out the market until the eve of Spring Training in the hopes they can sign someone for $1.5M – all the better if it’s an NRI.
Triolo will definitely see the show, but I can’t see them giving an opening day roster spot to a guy who hasn’t logged a game in AAA yet.
I would prefer your scenario. But as the roster stands right now, I think he’d be the best last bench piece. But I agree signing a FA would be the best option allowing Triolo to get triple a playing time.
I just hate to see Triolo in the last guy on the bench role. I think he holds enough promise to wanting to him to have regular at bats in AAA vs. sporadic playing time in MLB.
I agree. it was just an observation. I would prefer someone else to grab the spot or even a FA. But I think he might be the best option right now.
Totally agree.
if I remember correctly, the Yankees did not want to lose him last September
Off topic, but the Twins got a lot for Arraez.
Yeah, I saw that and went, “Wow…”
Maybe Kim finally got REALLY desperate? Cause I’d now wanna know exactly what was Ben asking for lol if then the Marlins were desperate enough to give all of that for Arraez. Possible Pirates signing Cutch made them 100% pull Reynolds off market, and that was the next best thing for Marlins? I don’t understand how they ended up giving Pablo AND a pretty high prospect, AND another prospect.
One to one would had been a good deal for the Twins……
Pablo made no sense for us, though. Only two years of control.
I mean, we’re signing all these pitchers on one year contracts lol but I’d have tried to see if we could net Cabrera, Eder, and then some.
you are right, Pablo is not a good fit, we just wondering what would Reynolds net if Arraez netted all that and believe me, it’s a lot, Almost twice the value!
I liked Andujar’s enthusiasm and the joyful attitude he put on display last season. I wish him well on whatever is next for him.
Are the Pirates on the hook for the $1.5+ mil they signed him for? That might be reason enough for a joyful attitude – but we did have him for at least 7 or 8 days.
If he’s claimed, his new team pays him.
I think if claimed, the pirates are still on the hook for everything other than the league minimum but not sure.
No whoever claims him pays him. The Pirates are only on the hook if he passes through waivers unclaimed, but then they can just assign him to AAA. He can refuse the assignment but then he leaves the salary on the table.
Thanks for the clarification.
I hope he goes unclaimed.. but i have said that about 5 times this off-season and players keep getting claimed elsewhere (and in a few occasions put back on waivers).
Makes sense
Don’t hate it.
Why Andujar and not Vilade? They must know something we don”t.
Vilade would have been my choice. The only thing I can think of is the FO believes nobody will claim him and then they will stash him at AAA and give him a chance to earn a bench spot for Opening Day.
A big difference is that Vilade has options remaining. Either could serve as depth, but the only way to get Andujar to AAA is to DFA him.
Vilade lacks the offensive upside. A head scratcher for me.
Vilade is much younger and Andujar doesn’t have even a hint of OBP skills, which seems to be clearly what the club is targeting.
I doubt any teams is gonna pay him the 1.5 million dollar salary his making this year, so I’m confident he will clear waivers, if he doesn’t is fine too. He needs to rediscover his power stroke without it this is his future, bouncing from team to team.
Genius…cut the guy who had a phenomenal season just 3 years ago and still only 27, and keep Choi instead…Pirates continue their incompetence. Smh
Also if Andujar couldn’t hit well in Yankee stadium year after year, he cannot hit, that stadium is built for hitting stats
False- batting averages go to die there. Pretty much everyone whose gone to yankee stadium has seen a significant power increase and average decrease. dare you to name someone whom didn;t
DJ LeMahieu, hit good in Colorado, batted .276 last year in Colorado and promptly batted .327 and .364 for Yanks before injuries set in, hitters park, not just power park
That’s why Reynolds would play so we’ll in Yankees stadium, surrounded by better support cast and a great hitters park
5 years ago, not 3. And Andujar has been plainly awful the last four years. The more he plays, the less valuable he gets. He was absolutely worth a flyer at the time…until they got better players. Now they have. Nothing to see here.
I think they just don’t think anyone else is going to pay him the 1.5 million, meaning they believe they can stash him in AAA.
Do you ever run out of terrible takes?
Don’t ask questions if you’re scared of the answer!
Andujar massively outperformed his expected stats in 2018. He was due for a huge regression, and it proved to be true. Choi’s expected stats last year were actually better than Andujar’s in 2018. Choi popped the second best xwOBA in the Rays lineup last year. Not sure why so many are sleeping on him; he makes some pretty good contact with the baseball.
It’s more than three. It was 2018. He’s been less than replacement level the last 4 seasons. This take is awful.
Not sure if this is sarcasm or a real complaint
nooooooooo
Never thought Bob Nutting would let them send a fresh 1.525 million to the minors , I guess they are hoping he gets claimed.
Which is probably why they’re cutting him and not Vilade. Couldn’t really see a role for him, though, and he has no options. Vilade can be called up, bat .050 for a while, then go back down.
That would be one more hit than he’s had in his major league career.
0.50? Pass the pipe, I want a hit.
What are the chances he makes it through wavers without being claimed or traded?
Usually wavers are looking up at a balcony, but we used to wave down from our porch to Sewickly parades. Of course Archduke Ferdinand did not make it through wavers.
Might be what they are hoping for, and I am as well
His higher salary increases the odds, but I’d still be pretty surprised if he’s not claimed.
I don’t even think the salary matters, actually. It’s guaranteed, but still a pittance in baseball terms, he can be outrighted to the minors and his only recourse is to declare free agency and leave the money on the table. That still leaves a claiming team with a lot of options at a few hundred thousand above the major league minimum.
Someone here called it!
Not I but also I am not surprised either. I thought he would eventually go but thought they might wait a bit before.
Joe made Andujar superfluous.
They would really hamstring the roster having both on the 26 and they didn’t trade for Joe to be in AAA. They see something in him.
Andujar flatly has much better bat upside
We’re now five years removed from said upside. I think it’s safe to say it ain’t coming back.
You’re still a long way from that beer! But dodged the first cut today.